


Always

by Naxa1818



Category: Avengers Academy (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Gladiator Captain America, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-03 02:58:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10234307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naxa1818/pseuds/Naxa1818
Summary: Steve comes back from Professor Pym's time chamber dressed as a gladiator. Tony, try as he might, can't stop staring.  Soon, he makes a mistake that could ruin his friendship with Steve. He vows to not let that happen.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文 available: [Always](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12113787) by [Celeste_030](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celeste_030/pseuds/Celeste_030)



> So the second I got Gladiator Captain America in the recent Monsters Unleashed event, inspiration struck me and I wrote this. There's not too much explained on Pym's timestream training chamber so I made up a few things about it for the story. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the story!
> 
> Also, thank you stonystonysto on Tumblr for helping me figure out my summary since I was having so much trouble with it for some reason, lol.

 

* * *

 

“So let me get this straight,” Tony sighed, and ran his hand through his hair. “Steve went into your timestream training chamber to prepare for the fight against Fin Fang Foom, you can’t communicate with him, and you have no idea when he’ll be back.”

Professor Pym was giddy, waving his hands around as he spoke. “Exactly! He’s spending more time there than he is here. He could be in there for years, and here it would only be a couple of days!”

“What?” Tony gasped. “What if he gets stuck in there and comes back decades from now?”

“That’ll be amazing!”

“No it won’t!” Tony yelled, angry at how sour things had turned. “I need—I mean we need Steve here, now! How could you send him off like that?”

“For science!” Pym cheered, completely unaffected by Tony’s anger.

It was at times like these that Tony really wanted to punch his professor in the face. He’d been looking for Steve all day because suddenly the campus was under attack _again_ , and for the first time since Steve arrived, he was nowhere in sight. That had immediately made Tony extremely worried because every time this happened to the academy, Steve was always right there next to Tony to help defend it. So when Steve wasn’t around, Tony knew something was wrong. That realization made his stomach drop. He panicked, asking around campus to see if anyone had seen Steve. When Sam didn’t even know where Steve was, Tony had assumed the worst. Which wasn’t far off when he finally found out that Professor Pym had taken Steve to his lab. Tony had gone to Pym’s lab after that. He had never run faster in his life.

Tony rubbed his temples, feeling a headache approaching. “How did you get Steve to agree to this?”

“Steve knows how strong our enemies are becoming. The moment I told him he could train with fierce warriors, he accepted pretty quickly.”

Tony rested his hands on his hips and frowned. “Can you find a way to communicate with him?” One thing was for sure was that Steve had become Tony’s rock over the last year. They’ve faced many villains, and all the while him and Steve had become really close friends. Every time another enemy attacked the academy, Tony went straight to Steve. Tony could work alone, he knew, but he’d come to realize they worked best together. He needed Steve at his side. “Please?” he asked, hoping that might persuade Pym.

“I’ll do my best to find a way,” Pym patted Tony on the shoulder.

Tony left after that because talking to Pym was a complete waste of time. Tony knew Pym would try, but talking to Steve wasn’t his main priority like Tony’s was.

 _It’s not like Pym ever has to fight the monsters that attack us,_ Tony thought bitterly.

Tony walked slowly back to Stark Tower. He thought about staying and helping Pym, but that wasn’t his area of expertise, and while Steve was gone Tony had to make sure the academy was safe. He had a headache, and the thought that Steve might not come back for a long time made him feel nauseous.

Steve was just always there. His presence in Tony’s life was like a light, and the thought that it might be gone made him miserable. He tried not to think negatively, that Steve could be back any second, but most of the time his brain didn’t work that way. He always thought of the worst to try and stop the worst from happening. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to fix this particular problem.

The only thing he could do now was help everyone on campus. So that’s what he did. He helped research and work the giant mechanical robot that Moon Girl piloted to fight off Fin Fang Foom, which took hours out of each day. He tried to calm people down at the academy, but he wasn’t as good as Steve when it came to that sort of thing. He had a constant headache from the stress of it all, and all the while he couldn’t get Steve out of his mind. He contacted Pym everyday asking about Steve, but it was always disappointing news.

Tony just couldn’t stop wondering: was Steve okay? Was he safe or alive? Would he come back? Was Steve trying to come home and something was stopping him? It plagued Tony’s mind so much during the day that he would dream about it at night. He wanted a break from it all, but he knew that wouldn’t happen any time soon. Even when Steve was around, Tony would dream about him. He wondered if Steve was thinking of Tony while he was away. He hoped so.

It had been a week since Steve had gone into Pym’s machine and he still hadn’t returned. The campus was in a panic. It hadn’t taken long for everyone else to notice Steve’s absence and now it was affecting the whole place. Everyone was helping when they could, except Loki whose main goal was to have an old safari hunter outfit made for him. The toll of Steve’s absence was already apparent in Tony’s life, and he wondered how long he could go on without him. He never wanted to be without him.

On day eight of Steve being gone, Tony was in his lab when he got a call from Professor Pym.

“Any news on Steve?” Tony asked immediately, desperate to know if he could talk to Steve, hear his voice.

“Tony,” Pym said. “Steve’s back.”

Tony let out a breath he'd been holding in. His heart beat faster, and he was glad he was alone because tears stung the corner of his eyes. He refused to cry because _Steve was back_.

“He’s okay?” he asked quietly, a little shaky from the good news.

“Yeah, he just left. I told him you wanted to see him. He’s on the way there.”

Tony disconnected the call from Pym without another word. Steve was on his way over so Tony was going to meet him half way. He wouldn’t waste another moment. After the longest week of his life, he needed to see Steve. He wanted to see Steve smile and then he’d say _everything’s going to be okay, Tony,_ and maybe Tony could get Steve into a desperate ‘I never thought I’d ever see you again’ hug.

Tony was quickly out of the tower and headed towards Pym’s lab to find Steve. He had come to terms with his strong feelings for Steve long ago. Attraction from the beginning, as well as infatuation from his childhood days, but once Tony got to know Steve, his feelings turned into something far more intense. Tony got frustrated with Steve at times, and he knew he could do the same to Steve, but they worked well together. There was a connection there that Tony had never felt before. Not only as a friend and partner, but something more. Tony tried not to use the word love because that scared him a little bit, but deep down he knew that’s what it was.

He was head over heels for the captain, and he often wondered what it would be like if Steve felt the same. Tony was too afraid to make that move. Sure, he flirted with Steve a lot. He commented on his physique and how handsome he was, but if Steve couldn’t get the hint from that he was either really clueless, or he just wanted to save Tony some dignity by not bringing up Tony’s feelings for him and letting him down easy. That was what Tony feared most too. If he lost Steve in every aspect, well, it would shatter him.

Tony was already feeling better. Knowing that Steve had returned relieved the stress that had weighed him down all week. First, Steve would say something inspiring to everyone, and then he and Tony would come up with a plan. Finally, they would defeat the enemy together and move on with their lives. Maybe Tony could get Steve alone after all this was over, and they could celebrate.

Tony was smiling, deep in his thoughts when he looked up and saw someone talking to Sam. Tony stopped, confused because this person was dressed as a Roman gladiator with long blonde hair. It wasn’t Halloween so who on earth would be dressed as a gladiator at a time like this? Not that it didn’t look good. From behind Tony could tell whoever made the outfit put a lot of effort in to it. Tony examined the man, looked him up and down, then his eyes widened. Muscular legs, toned and broad back with biceps the size of his head. Tony realized he was looking at Steve. He closed his eyes and shook his head. He opened them thinking it might have been his imagination, but it hadn’t.

Sam turned somewhat, which made Steve turn and now Tony could see his profile perfectly. He was stunned. He knew his mouth was hanging open as he stared at Steve. His hair was long, and in a ponytail that hung over his shoulder. He was wearing metal armor, but he still had his red, white, and blue color scheme. He was even wearing a gladiator skirt and sandals. Tony wasn’t sure if that surprised him more or the hair.

Tony couldn’t take his eyes of off him. Sure, Steve had changed while he was in Pym’s training chamber. Obviously it had been a lot longer for Steve then it had been for Tony. And he still looked amazing. Sure, Tony always thought Steve was insanely handsome, but he looked more rugged, more powerful in that outfit. Steve definitely wasn’t hurt, which was good. He was laughing at something Sam said, and suddenly Tony realized he wouldn’t know what to say to Steve.

He just couldn’t stop staring. Tony looked him up and down and imagined Steve turning and seeing him. Steve would run over and be so happy to see him. He’d embrace Tony and say, _god Tony I missed you_. And before Tony could say the same Steve would kiss him hard and demanding. And Tony would return that kiss eagerly because he’d wanted it for so long…

Tony snapped out of his daydream. His cheeks were heated, his heart was pounding in his chest, and his jeans seemed to have gotten tighter. He needed to get away and go back to the tower before he embarrassed himself in front of everyone. He took one last look at Steve, who was still talking with Sam before he bolted back to the tower.

Once there, he sat down in a chair in his lab and calmed himself down. His mind still couldn’t grasp at how different Steve looked. Tony wondered just how long Steve had been gone. Obviously, long enough for his hair to grow out. He hadn’t looked much older from where Tony had been standing, but what did Tony really know. Apparently, Steve had been taken somewhere with gladiators and now he’d become one. His life was really strange sometimes.

“Sir.”

Tony jumped in his seat. “Yeah, Jarvis?”

“Captain Rogers is asking permission to come to the lab.”

Tony swallowed and took a deep breath. “Yeah, J. Send him down.”

Tony heard the elevator and braced himself when the doors opened. Steve walked through, smiling as he made his way towards Tony. Steve stopped right in front of him, reached out like he wanted to touch Tony, but he quickly pulled back.

“Tony,” Steve said.

And, _oh,_ how sweet did that sound. Hearing Steve say his name so gently gave Tony goosebumps, and Steve hadn’t stopped smiling. They stared at each other, taking in each other’s presence. Steve had been gone for only a week, but seeing him made Tony realize that it had felt like an eternity. And what made Tony’s heart clench was that Steve really was happy to see him.

“Steve,” Tony finally said.

That made Steve smile even wider. He stared at Tony with such happiness that Tony couldn’t believe Steve was even looking at him that way.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.” Steve’s smile faltered a little bit, a sadness appearing in his deep blue eyes.

“An eternity,” Tony agreed. “But how long has it been for you?”

Steve’s smile vanished. “Four years,” he whispered.

“Oh my god,” Tony said, heart broken. “Where?”

“A world full of gladiators and monsters. They trained me and wanted me to stay, but I needed to come back to…” Steve trailed off. His cheeks flushed a bright pink. “I just needed to come home.”

“I’m glad you’re home.” Tony reached out, touched Steve’s shoulder and squeezed. “It’s been a bit crazy without you here.”

“Glad to know I do something good around here,” Steve joked lightly, but Tony could see the sincerity in his eyes. Steve hoped he had been missed. God, if only he knew.

“You do great things around here, you idiot,” Tony joked back.

Steve huffed out a laugh, which Tony counted as a win. Tony retracted his hand and suddenly it was quiet again and he didn’t know what to say to Steve. Well, he had a lot of things he wanted to say, but he didn’t know if he could muster the courage to actually say it.

But Steve was looking at him in a way Tony had never expected. He was smiling softly, his eyes had tears in them, but Steve wasn’t sad. He looked at Tony with pure happiness, adoration, and honesty. He laughed and smiled at Tony all the time, but this was different. There was something different this time. Steve took a step forward and they were so close. Tony was holding his breath, nervous as to what was going to come next.

“Tony—”

“I’m making a dinosaur,” Tony interrupted.

Steve frowned. “What?” he asked, confused.

“I’m making a robotic dinosaur.” Tony put his hands on his hips trying to put away the nervousness he was feeling, and the regret of suddenly interrupting Steve for some reason.

“Oh.” Steve took a step back, clearly unimpressed. “That’s great, Tony.”

And wasn’t this great. The atmosphere from before was completely ruined all because Tony had to get nervous and panic.

“I know I’m not talking about how many times you bounced your shield off of something,” Tony said, keeping up the charade he somehow managed to begin in the first place. “But you could act a little more enthused.”

Steve sighed unhappily. “A big robotic dinosaur sounds fun, but Moon Girl did it first. I don’t know why you always feel like you need to outdo everyone.”

“Like you aren’t competitive,” Tony snapped, but his mind was telling him to _shut up and stop._ “I’ve seen you checking out your biceps countless times.”

Steve looked tired, and confused. “I don’t check out my biceps, Tony.” He narrowed his eyes, and smirked. “Why…have you been checking out my biceps?”

“Uh,” Tony stuttered. He wasn’t expecting that. He checked out Steve all the time. Had Steve noticed before? Now he was panicking even more than before. “I’m a scientist!”

Steve’s eyes widened. “A scientist?”

“Yeah, you know. I'm a scientist. I observe things.” Tony said. "For science," he repeated.

Steve stiffened, and looked away. “I see.”

"And you're a mystery, Rogers," Tony tried for a joke, but it wasn't effective. 

Steve looked back at Tony. Everything from before was completely gone and replaced by pure sadness.

“I get it. The Serum, right?” He turned slightly away from Tony. “Lots of scientists want to know about the affects,” he said, sadly.

Oh, no. This had all gone south so quickly and horribly. Tony needed to fix it, _now._

“Steve—”

“Sir, Captain Rogers,” Jarvis said. “A giant red monster is attacking the academy.”

“Right,” Steve said going into Captain America mode. “Suit up, Tony. I’ll meet you out there.”

Then he was gone.

The battle didn’t actually last that long. Having Steve back brought everyone’s fighting spirit up and seeing him in action was a hell of a thing. By the time Steve was flying on a giant bald eagle the red monster had fled.

Steve didn’t find Tony afterward like he normally did, and Tony didn't blame him with how their last conversation went. God, he felt awful. He just panicked and did something stupid. He should really work on calming himself before he did stuff like that.

So he found Steve, but Steve was preoccupied with Sam. Tony waited and then Steve was talking to Professor Pym again, for some reason. Tony lingered for a while making sure everyone was okay. He was really just waiting for the right moment to talk to Steve. When Steve was done talking to Professor Pym, he was talking to Ares. It seemed everyone wanted Steve’s attention to talk about his new look, and Tony couldn’t blame them. So Tony decided to go to the tower to drop off the Iron Man suit after that. He wanted a moment to collect himself anyway. Hopefully by then Steve wouldn't be surrounded by people wanting his attention.

He wanted so badly to talk to Steve privately, to tell Steve the truth. After that misunderstanding, Tony knew the damage he had caused. He would do anything to make sure Steve knew that’s not what he meant. He would tell Steve his feelings and then go from there.

He eventually left the tower and it wasn't long before Tony saw Steve walking alone. Steve stopped at the edge of the academy and stared out at the water as the sun went down.

“Steve,” Tony said as he stopped to stand next to him.

“Yeah?” Steve responded but didn’t look at Tony.

Tony sighed. “I need to tell you something. I didn’t mean what I said before. I don’t look at you for science, Steve. I promise.”

Steve looked at Tony then. “Really?” he asked, hopeful.

“Of course not!” Tony exclaimed loudly. “I—I—” Tony stuttered. If he was going to tell Steve how he felt, now was the time. Steve turned to face Tony and when he looked up into Steve’s eyes and saw what he thought was hope, he continued on. “I’m always looking at your biceps, but not just that. I’m always looking at you.” Steve’s eyes widened. “I’m not trying to say that in a creepy way! I just mean…I have feelings for you, Steve. I have for a long time.” Tony looked away then, not wanting to face Steve’s rejection.

Then Steve’s finger lifted Tony’s chin so he could meet Steve’s eyes and all that fear of rejection was gone. Steve was just like before, in the lab. He looked happy, smiling brightly at Tony. Steve stepped forward and leaned it slowly. Tony closed his eyes just in time for Steve’s lips to lightly press against his.

It wasn’t hard and demanding like he imagined earlier, but it was perfect. It was slow, and sweet, and it felt like Steve wanted to memorize it.

They pulled away, both grinning, and Steve’s cheeks were a light pink.

“I have feelings for you too, Tony,” Steve whispered. “Have for a while.”

"Really? Tony asked, hopeful.

"Really. On the way over to the tower I saw Sam. He told me how much of a mess you've been while I was away."

Tony chuckled lightly. "Well, he's not wrong."

"Then I thought maybe you had feelings for me. I know you comment on my body a lot, but I always thought you were just flirting because you flirt with a lot of people."

"Oh, no I was dead serious about everything, Steve. I know I flirt but it only ever meant something with you. And not just the physical stuff." Tony poked his chest. "All of you. You need to know that."

"That makes me happy," Steve said, staying close to Tony. "I hoped you meant everything you said to me. I really missed you while I was gone, Tony. I thought about you constantly."

“God,” Tony laughed. “That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard. And even though it was week, I really missed you too.”

“I wanted to tell you in the lab earlier, but….”

“Yeah, I messed that up. I know. I panicked Steve, I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.” Steve stroked Tony’s cheek. “I was gone for four years, Tony. I was away from you all that time. It was horrible. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that with the experience I was getting I would come home to be better. To be better at protecting the academy, but mostly better at protecting and keeping you safe.”

“God, Steve. It was only a week for me without you and I was miserable. I was afraid you wouldn’t come back,” Tony admitted.

“I’ll always come back to you, Tony.”

“Don’t ever leave, Steve.” Tony whispered, desperate that he convey to Steve how much he means to him.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Steve pulled Tony into a tight embrace, and Tony held on for dear life, and he knew this was the start of something amazing. He couldn't help it when a few tears fell down his cheeks. He had never felt so happy, and he knew Steve felt the same. They needed each other desperately and now they would always be together.


End file.
